Foot-warming attachment for electrothermal garments.



P. E. CHARLES.

FOOT WARMING ATTACHMENT FOR ELEGTROTHERMAL GARMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 12, 1910.

Patented Apr. 18, 1911.

PHYLLIS E CfiAfiLEs, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. s, rear.

Application filed. October 12,1910. Serial No. 586,722.

To all w'hom it may concern:

Be i known that T, PHYLLIS EMILY CHARLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Foot-Warming Attachments for ElectrothermalGarments, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of wraps or temporary enveloping garments for sick persons, or invalids, wired for the diffusion of. electrical currents and heat through the body and members of the wearerwhereby therapeutic effects are produced.

The improvement consists more particularly' in the. connection with a source of electrical energy in common with that energizing the garment proper, of "siic'li' separa ble foot-wraps, flexible boots orslippers, as may bewired, and flexibly connected-either through the circuitor circuits of the bodyrobe, or direct with a source of electrical energy, as will difiuse electrical impulses and heat throughout such foot-wraps and thence to the feet of the wearer,the object being to permit the wearerwithout breaking the circuit in the garment proper, or in the foot-wraps themselves-to freely move the feet, and walk about if necessary, within an area ,only limited by the lengths of the connections with the garment proper, or with an electrical distributer such as the I socket of an incandescent lamp.

The device here dealt with may be considered as a further development of the invention of my husband, Burton R. Charles, patented under No. 969,147 on the 30th day of August 1910, where he employs an electrically energized foot piece permanently and closely fastened to an electrothermal garment, and where it is only foldable upon the garment and does not permit of'foot movement, or ofthe warming or treatment of one foot independently of the other, both of which latter named functions are eficiently performed by mypresent'invention For .full comprehension of the improve ment, reference must be had to the 'accompanying drawings ofa'preferred form there: of, and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings similar letters of refer ence indicate like parts. t

Figure 1 is an inside view of portion of an electrothermal garment and the two footwraps or boots, with electrical connections whereby one or both of the latter may be included in the main circuit, and also suitable connections with any source of elect ica] energy. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the foot-wraps. Fig. 3 is a detail showing a modification of a simple form where both foot-wraps are in direct connection with the mam garment-circuit.

Referring more particularly. to Fig. 1 A. represents the lower part of a garment wired in any suitable manner for electrotherapeutic purposes, and having permanently fixed thereto a switch-block B, adapted to afi'ord connection between the garmenbcircuit a, and the flexible wires C, leading from a plug D adapted to detachably contact said switch-block B. The wires C, lead to an electric-light plug E with an intervening switch F upon said wires within easy reach of the users hand.

The foot-Wraps G and G are separable from the garment proper, and are made of any, suitable fabrics wired. internally for the difiusion of electrical currents therethrough in any preferred manner, such a circuit being indicated at g in Fig. 2, where the wires are connected to flexible insulated double cords H and H leading toplugs K and K respectively. These latter plugs are each adapted to form removable contact with the switch-block B. afiixed to the garment A, hence it will be seen that either or'both foot-wraps G, G may be thrown into the main circuit formed by the contact of the plug D with the switch block 13 and thus drawing the current from the flexible wires C extending from said plug D to the source of electrical energy, such as an electric-light tapped by the plug E.

A is a removable plug adapted to connect the main circuit a with the switch-block B; a if desired, this connect-ion may be otherwise made.

Referring to themodificatiom'Fig. 3, ll show a simple contact block B fix'ed'to the garment A and; receiving the terminals of the garment circuit a. A similar block B is adapted for removable contact with this fixed block B, and has connected thereto the wires H, Hflleading from'the wires and circuits employed in two foot-wraps or boots G and G.

In all cases the flexible connections are long enough to permit the freeand independent movement of the users feet, the advantage and beneficial result of which arrangement over the old fixed styles of electrical foot-warming devices used in combination with electro-thermal garments, will be apparent.

I do not limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement shown, as these may be varied and modified without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of my invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. The combination with a source of electrical energy, and with a garment wired with a circuit for the difiusion therethrough of electrical currents,of a contact block fixed to the fabric of said garment and receiving the terminals or its circuit wires,a detachable contact block or plug and flexible electrical connections therewitln-and separable foot-wraps, or boots wired also with circuits for the diffusion therethrough of electrical currents, such circuits having their terminals in said detachableblock or plug,

whereby a common current may be directed through the body and feet of the user.

2. The combination with a source of electrical energy, and with a garment wired with a circuit for the diffusion therethrough of electrical currents,-of a contact block fixed to the garment,-a plug adapted to removably contact said block and having flexible connections with the source of electricity,--a removable plug having connections with the garment-circuit and adapted also to contact said fixed block,-separable foot-wraps, or boots, wired for the diffusion of electrical currents therethrough,-separate plugs adapted to contact the fixed block on the garment propery and flexible elec trical connections between said plugs and the circuits of the separate foot-wraps or boots.

In testimony whereof, I have signed in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

PHYLL LF) E. CHARLES. Witnesses Esrrrnn H. KNAPP, Gaonon Tam/ELL. 

